By Hadiza Mohammed
The People’s Legislative Assembly of Burkina Faso has adopted four bills authorising the ratification of additional protocols to the founding treaty of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
The bill aims to solidify the confederation’s legal and strategic framework.
The adoption took place during a plenary session in the capital, Ouagadougou, attended by 59 lawmakers who voted in favour of the texts signed in Bamako, Mali, on Dec. 23, 2025.
The protocols cover coordination of diplomatic action, coordination of development actions, defence and security, and the establishment of confederal parliamentary sessions.
Burkina Faso’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Karamoko Jean Marie Traore said that the move provides a “legal anchor” for cooperation already taking place on the ground among Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
“We want to create the conditions so that actions can definitively have a legal basis in terms of diplomacy, defense and development,” Traore said.
The protocol on diplomatic coordination requires member states to coordinate positions on international issues, coordinate within global organisations, and provide mutual consular assistance.
Traore said this would allow the three nations to “speak with one voice” on the international stage and form a united front against external aggression or geopolitical isolation.
In terms of development, the bills aim to create a confederal common market, strengthen food and energy sovereignty, and align macroeconomic performance across the member states.
Regarding defence and security, the protocols reaffirm a collective security architecture in which any attack on the territorial integrity of one member state is considered an aggression against the entire confederation.
They also facilitate the pooling of defence resources and mutual assistance.
The AES, grouping Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, was established in September 2023.
On July 6, 2024, the three countries announced the creation of the Confederation of the AES, marking a major step toward establishing an economic-military bloc. (Xinhua/NAN)
